This week I've been stuck on the actions and heart of the Woman who "Touched Jesus" in Mark 5. Before this encounter: she tried everything in her power to stop the physical pain in her life. Exhausted her finances to doctors and yet still grew worse in her condition. (Will elaborate on the medicine practice back then to understand the context. page 1674 from The Archaeological Study Bible)
Then, she just heard that Jesus was near, so she went in faith believing that if she might just touch his clothes…she would be healed. I find that my heart is still being molded as I read the scriptures and will continue to be molded. Sometimes I get so focused on what it is that I need to be doing in life, that I feel like every other person in the crowd that was touching Jesus just wanting to see what's going to happen next.
Jesus is the Word…right?!?
I think some of those people were probably crowding Jesus too see a show. Do some of us crowd the church in this same way to just hear something from the Word on Sundays? Or, do I come to the Word like the Woman to touched Jesus (the Word) so that it may actually change my life? "Jesus, mold my heart that I may fully rely on you and press on with pi'stis (an active Faith).
This Woman, in Faith, touched him and JESUS KNEW IT. I bet many of those people who were following Jesus were just waiting to see what as going to happen next. In fact, they were crowding him because Jairus came and asked him to come heal his daughter. They were probably touching him because they thought this is going to be cool, he heals people, speaks with authority over the scriptures, teaches in parables, he's about to go do another miracle; but the scriptures do not say anything about the effect on Jesus as all the other people who were touching him. Why didn't power come from Jesus when the others touched him? I believe Jesus knew who had touched him. He was waiting to see if she would come forward with her Faith…and she did! Because she acted on her Faith, Jesus healed her.
I have spent so much of my mental, physical, financial energy trying to make everything right in my life, but sometimes I find myself only getting worse. How many of us are in that boat?
The word "faith", translated from the Greek
πιστις (pi'stis), and Hebrew
אמונה (emunah) was primarily used in the New Testament with the perfect tense and translates as a noun-verb hybrid; which is not adequately conveyed by the English noun. Pi'stis in the New Testament context is a physical action, based upon a mental belief and sustained with confidence. Belief, in this context is non-synonymous with faith because, belief primarily conveys the mental action, thought of confidence, trust, and/or firm persuasion, not the physical act. Depending on the context, the Greek and Hebrew word may also be understood to mean faithfulness or fidelity (cf. 1 Thess 3:7; Titus 2:10).
Again…the Hebrew word for faith is
אמונה… emunah - and is an action oriented word meaning "support". This is important because the Western concept of faith places the action on the one you have faith in, such as "faith in God". But, the Hebrew word
אמונה emunah places the action on the one who "carries out their Faith". It is not knowing that God will act, but rather I will do what I can to “carry out my Faith” in God.
I learn and grow from experience. Sometimes I have to physically do something to have something I learn stick with me. When Im in training for something, its one thing to tell me how to do it, but let me get hands on and I'm going to get it quicker and I wont forget it.
Write
אמונה on pulp paper with your finger (using theatre makeup.) This will relate the "touch / motion" aspect of our Faith and writing the word. This is going to take physical action on your part. Putting our faith into motion is going to "help the helpless" We cant always see faith, but physically writing it here in Hebrew with your fingers, making it come to life with YOUR touch, will give the illustration of touching in faith and seeing/committing to put it into action.
When done explain this:
Everyone’s word
אמונה is going to look slightly different. This shows the same for each of ours physical action of “carrying out our Faith”. Mine is not going to look exactly the same as yours; there is no cookie cutter way to carry out your Faith. The message will be the same, but the action will be yours. Where is God calling you today? How will you “help the helpless”? How will we as a church “carry out our Faith”?
Posts
